This invention relates to solid tires made of elastomeric material used in industrial applications and more particularly to improved solid tires able to carry extreme loads while providing a reasonably satisfactory ride for vehicle occupants.
Conventional solid tires on the market today generally are used for slow-speed industrial applications that require the tire to have properties such as being puncture-proof, able to carry relatively heavy loads, and having good resistance to wear and tear. The ride provided to occupants of vehicles using such tires generally is satisfactory when the vehicles are operated on smooth surfaces, such as forklift trucks operated on paved or concrete surfaces in a warehouse. However, the ride provided by solid tires presents a major problem to occupants of vehicles used on broken and uneven surfaces, such as typically found in mills, mines, quarries and the like. At some point the discomfort caused by a poor vehicle ride can cause injury to a vehicle occupant; furthermore, a customer for a tire of this type is going to refuse to buy the tire long before the ride becomes so bad that it causes injury. This unsatisfactory ride problem further increases in tires made to withstand unusually heavy loads.
The load capacity of a solid tire can be raised in at least two ways, (1) by increasing the area of tire surface engaging the ground and, (2) increasing the spring rate of the tire. The surface area of the tire engaging the ground can be increased by increasing either or both the diameter or the width of the tire, both of which have limits caused by vehicle design. Increasing the spring rate of the tire causes the ride harshness to rise, thus, also limiting the tire designer in achieving an increased load capacity for a solid tire.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in conventional solid tires. It is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully discussed hereinafter.